Yuck - food is food!

One thing I don’t want my blog to be is a place where I continually gripe about things. BUT, I just have to gripe about something, so bear with me…

I have mixed feelings about “missionaries”. In general, I don’t like them, but individually, I do! Yes, a lot of my good friends are missionaries. Heck, I’m even supposed to be one! Like any group of people, you have some good ones and some bad ones. I’m just really intolerant of the bad ones : (

Some of the missionaries who were raised as missionary kids are the worst. Not all, but some. We were at a party this holiday with a group of these people and I was disgusted and somewhat surprised when I heard one of the “old timers” going through the food line with his daughter, talking about “Wazungu food”. Now, Wazungu means “white person”, so this was evidently all white people food? What the hell?

Yes, I was eavesdropping – he wasn’t talking to me- but I was a bit shocked at his ignorance. For one, it was a VERY mixed group of “white people.” Egyptians, South Africans (white ones), Russians, British, a Ukrainian, Americans and a Canadian. His particular group of missionaries doesn’t really mix with Ugandans socially but in this context we also had my kids, our Ugandan neighbor who is married to a Brit, and our friends black American son. So? Because these four people are black they’re not going to like the food? The black American boy is only going to like the beans because he’s black? My kids won’t like the quiche simply because of the color of their skin? What is “white food” and “black food” anyways? Is Ethiopian food “black food?” Um, no…. it’s Ethiopian food! My kids and I love Ethiopian food but most Ugandans don’t, so the type of food you like has nothing to do with race! Ethnicity is what makes food different, not the color of the ethnic group. Duh. And you’d think this fellow, after all these years of being a “missionary” would realize this. Nope, he was trying to impress his young daughter with his command of Swahili (which isn’t even spoken in these parts!) and teaching her about “white food”. Yuck.

Maybe I won’t share the pizza that we’re making tonight, with the kids. Because after all, Italians are kind of white so it must be “white food.” And no more Ethiopian food for me, because it’s “black food.” Bummer. And so ridiculous!

Where does she come up with this stuff?

Yesterday Ella was not feeling well so we took a walk around the neighborhood before bed time. As we were returning home we saw two white women walking down the road. Not totally unusual as we live so near the Botanical Gardens, zoo, and near an International Airport.

Ella spotted them first and said, "Look! Two white people. They look funny. They talk funny [insert garbled noise - perhaps an imitation of Russian?]. I don't think I like them!" All said with a smile, twinkling eyes and a chuckle.

Um, WHAT??? It's interesting to see the little turdlett testing the waters a bit- can we make fun of or decide we don't like someone based on their race? Or their language? Or because we don't know them? Because they are different than us? Does Mom indeed prefer one race over the other? Should I? No. Of course not!

I wanted to laugh, as she was marching along clutching my white hand, disappointed that she couldn't web cam with her beloved, very white, grandparents. But all I said was, "Just because you think someone looks funny, doesn't mean you shouldn't like them." I'll save the lecture for when she's older...

Because she had an upset tummy, she was given dry toast for dinner while Frankie and I had fried sausage and potatoes. Frankie of course saw me giving her her dry toast (prison food, in my mind) and wanted some too. She told him, "You have potatoes, Frank. Potatoes are man food!" Haaaaa!!!! Man food??? What the heck??? So I sat down and ate some man food too, right alongside Frank!

Seriously, the older this kid gets the funnier she gets. What will she think of next??!!!!

Two Types of Racism

I’ve seen a lot of racism since I’ve lived in Uganda. Racism amongst white expats, Ugandans, other Africans and Indians. But I’ve mainly seen two different kinds of racism. It’s not all just the hateful kind – there is also the patronizing kind as well, which I believe is equally demeaning. It seems that as human beings we just can’t get away from racism.

Even among missionaries there is a lot of racism. The “old school” racism (type A) and the more “politically correct” kind of racism (type B).

Examples-

Type A: “Africans” (very generic term there) can’t live on a certain compound. Well, white South Africans can of course, but not any others (meaning the BLACK ones). Okay, that’s an obvious example.

Type B: How about wanting a “Ugandan” for a certain position that has always been fulfilled by an expat. Does it matter that they have the right credentials, experience or training? No, not really. It would just look really good if they had a Ugandan in that position.

I don’t find either of these types of racism as very helpful and in my way of thinking, they are both equally demeaning. In each case one race is making itself feel superior over another. As the mother of a black Ugandan child I don’t want my daughter to experience either types of this racism, nor would I ever want to see her be the perpetrator. That is why I hope that I can teach her to look at the character of the person, their morals and what they stand for, and not just what they look like.

A school situation where Ella was either not allowed to participate because of the color of her skin or, because of the color of her skin the quality of her work wasn’t expected to be of the same standard as other white or Asian kids and exceptions were made, would both do her no good and make her feel inferior. It would also really piss me off :)

Another interesting thing that I have detected, especially in Americans is this. If a person has a white parent and a black parent, and is mixed, that person will never be referred to as “white” or “Caucasian”. It is almost politically incorrect! But they are always labeled a “Black American” or “African American”. Why is that? Why can’t they say they’re white if they want to? Would our neighbors little boy, James, be able to go to the States, show a family picture, and tell people he was white? I seriously doubt that it would be acceptable by either black or white Americans.

I get really frustrated when I hear remarks about our recent presidential elections and people remarking on how it’s so wonderful that a “black man” has made it to presidency, that history was made and haven’t we come so far! Have we? How many people do you think voted for Obama because they really supported his policies (did they even know his policies?) or simply because he was “a black man” and they wanted to feel good about themselves? How many people do you think really even knew what he stood for, other than “change”? Sigh.

So, would I have voted for Condolissa Rice had she run for president? You bet. Could I use her as a good role model for my daughter? Yes. Because she’s a woman? No. Because she’s black, no. Because she supports the protection of unborn American babies? Yes. Because she supports other policies that I believe align with Scripture? Yes. Could I have used Hillary as a role model for my daughter (she’s a woman after all!)? Ha ha!!

So yah, I’m a bit sensitive to racism after living here in Uganda amongst a lot of it. Especially since my best friend here is a Ugandan and now my daughter is too. I’ve also been on the receiving end of it many times, which is something that I’d never experienced in the States. Both types, “A” and “B”. It’s been very disappointing to me to see all the hype about our most recent president- elects race and not about his qualifications and what he really stands for.